Saturday, September 6, 2008

Recount






(2008)

Sue says:

3.75 stars

Recount is one side of the story of the fight over Florida's votes in the 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. There's no surprise ending or startling revelations, just an obviously biased retelling of the events. I liked it anyway.

This movie really tries to paint the Gore staff as loyal and principled and the Republicans as sneaky and mean. I imagine the truth lies somewhere in between for both sides. The bottom line is that what happened in Florida was a disaster and should have never happened in the first place. What struck me more than the politics was the disorganization and lack of clear guidelines for the situation.

The acting was good even it the script was a little unbelievable at times. I found it hard to imagine that the democrats were ready to be so incredibly moral at such a crucial time. Laura Dern was quite entertaining as Kathryn Harris the Florida Secretary of State.

The battle over votes and chads wasn't just about picking a winner but rather, if your vote really counts at all. Everyone wants to think that we can make a difference with our vote, but when it comes down to it that's not always the case. What happened in Florida should serve as a reminder that it doesn't do any good to vote only every four years in the national election. We as citizens have a duty to be involved and knowledgeable about our local and state governments.

2 comments:

The Running Couple said...

Good point, and at least in local and state level elections our votes really do count. Unlike presidential elections where popular vote doesn't really matter.

Have I mentioned my disillusionment as of late with politics?

-Todd

Sue said...

My point is that your local leaders, at the city and state level A) are not elected by the Electoral College but by an actual vote count and B) when a situation like as unto the one in Recount occurs those people are the ones who are going to be running the show. and C) it is locally that things get started. You call your senator or whomever and they are supposed to represent you in Washington, ideally. D) when are you going to run for office? Lets see some action Mr. Disillusion.